Study finds school HPV vaccine also cuts cancer risk in unvaccinated women
High HPV vaccine uptake protects unvaccinated women
- A new study has found that high uptake of school-based human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation can protect unvaccinated women from developing pre-cancerous cells.
- Researchers in Sweden analysed data from 857,168 unvaccinated women, observing a substantially lower incidence of high-grade cervical lesions in those exposed to school-based vaccination programmes.
- Unvaccinated women born between 1999 and 2000 had approximately half the risk of serious pre-cancerous changes compared to those born between 1985 and 1988.
- These “herd effects” highlight the importance of expanding universal, school-based vaccination initiatives as a cost-effective public health strategy to reduce cervical cancer risk across entire populations.
- The NHS aims to boost HPV vaccine uptake among girls to 90 per cent as part of its plan to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040, with current uptake for 14-15 year olds at 76.7 per cent for girls.